Epidemiology and outcomes of non-infectious paediatric uveitis in the French Caribbean: a 15-year cohort study from a high-income health system in Martinique.

BACKGROUND: Non-infectious uveitis (NIU) are rare in children but might be associated with substantial visual impairment. Most NIU paediatric cohorts originate from Europe, North America, or Asia, with minimal representation of Caribbean populations. Our study aimed to describe the epidemiology, clinical features, aetiologies and outcomes of paediatric NIU in Martinique.

FINDINGS: We conducted a monocentre, retrospective cohort study that included all children under the age of 18 diagnosed with NIU at the University Hospital of Martinique between 2010 and 2024. We identified cases through paediatric and ophthalmology registries, medical records, and national hospital databases. We excluded infectious uveitis and non-residents. Incidence estimates used population data. A total of 17 children with NIU were included in the study. 41% were male, with a mean age at diagnosis of 8.7 years (range: 2.5-16) and a median follow-up period of 7.6 years (range: 2.2-11.6). Eleven patients had anterior uveitis (64.7%), and 35.3% had panuveitis. Uveitis was unilateral in 64.7% of patients. The estimated incidence was 1.4 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 0.83-2.27). The leading aetiology was juvenile idiopathic arthritis, accounting for 58.8% of cases. Systemic biologics were used in 17.6% of patients. Only one child experienced visual loss and required ocular surgery at the final follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: The first Caribbean paediatric NIU cohort shows a similar etiological spectrum and good visual outcomes as reported in high-income countries.